Plane lands safely after reported landing gear problem

The U.S. Airways plane landed safely at McGhee Tyson Airport around 2:00 pm.

Flight #2467 was en route from Charlotte to Tallahassee, but was diverted to Knoxville after the pilot declared an emergency.

The pilot flew over the airport before landing so officials could check out the tire.

The 46 passengers and three crew members were not injured.

McGhee Tyson Airport officials said they train every year with full scale drills and exercises for these types of emergencies.

"It's something that you train for and you're prepared for whenever you have a situation like this, with our drills, with our training, we are available for any kind of aircraft or structural kind of emergency," said Becky Huckaby. "And so with this, you don't like to see this happening, but when you do, you want to be prepared and that's why we train."

The Alert Two was declassified at 2:10 p.m.

Passengers were still waiting for maintenance crews to repair the blown tire as of 5 p.m.

it's something that you train for and you're prepared for whenever you have a situation like this, with our drills, with our training,

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McGhee Tyson Airport has declared an Alert 2 emergency, as a plane approaches the airport with a blown tire.

Blount County and airport emergency crews are on standby at the airport, in case the plane has problems landing. Dispatchers say there are 49 people on board. We do not know the type of plane, the airline, or where the plane was flying from or to.

An Alert Two means an aircraft is experiencing a possible major problem, such as faulty landing gear or hydraulic failure. Emergency vehicles are put on standby on the airfield and at the security gates. This does not necessarily mean the plane will have difficulty landing, but crews have to be prepared, just in case.